Traction-wheel.



w. L. MARTIN.

TRAOTION WHEEL. APPLIOATIEJH TILED 1330.7,

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

UNITED sTArEs PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. MARTIN, (ll? OHXGAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRACTION-WHEEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'iLLL-iiil a/citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of IllillOlS, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Iractionhcels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to traction wheels for traction engines, having trucks and the'lilre, and particularly to traction wheels of the eneral character described in my prior patcnt No.902,426,dated Oct. 2Tth,1908, where in the bearing members or feet are connected in pairs for inward and outward movement relative to a central frame, in such manner that when one bearing member is moved inward the companion member of its pair is held or locked in outermost position in a line therewith tangent to the tread circle of the wheel.

The construction embodied in my prior patent referred to, causes to be imported to all of the bearing members which are functionally inactive or idle, movements coincident with the mdvement of the func tionally active members. c

One of the salient objects of the'present invention is to provide a construction wherein the bearing members, movable approxh mately radially with respect to a frame, are connected in pairs in sucli manner that one member of a pair, when i innermost. position, locks the ot er mem er in outermost position but may resume it. outward position Without pzflving its fell w member, and wherein mea are rovid for normally maintaining all of tie beari members in outermost position, so that 10 member is moved inwardly save when in inct-ional operation. And other and forth r objects 'of my invention will become apparent to -those skilled in the art from th following description taken in conjuncti n with the accon'ipanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 iso side elevatio of a portion of a wheel; Fig. 2 is a centriil tion; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a frag ment of the gearing inits hon. 'ng; Figs. 4 and 5 are plan and sectional views of an improved bearing member.

The wheel in general consists f a rigid frame, bearinq members or feet arranged radially beyon d the frame, mountefl for approximately radial movement wit respect thereto upon connecting links or legs, coupled together in pairs so that when no Specification of Letyers Patent.

Application filed December 7, 1908.

recesses of each sector, pass two vertical Patented Aug. 31, 1909. Serial No. 466,327.

member of a pair is moved to its innermost position the other member of said pair is moved to its outermost position, and said pairs of legs being connected together so '33 that as a. leg of one pair is moved to innermost position the proximate leg of the next adjoining pair is held in outermost position. The connections between the carrying logs constituting a pair, and between the ele ments of the several pairs, are movable in such manner that as the wei ht of the wheel and its load is being shifte(v from one hearing member to the next the load is distributed between two bearing members, the arrangement being such that not less than two members may normally be positioned for contactwith the ground to carry the load.

In the construction shown theframe comprises a rim 10 connected by rigid spokes 11 with a separable hub 12, constructed of two telescoping members 12 and 12'', having projecting therefrom in confronting relation cooperating halves 13 and 13" of a housing 13 of annular form in which is loosely mounted for rotation upon the, sleeve portion of the hub member 12 a gear wheel 14 with which mesh gearsectors 15 disposed at regular intervals in the housing and pivoted on pins 16 therein, said sectors 15 constituting rocking thrust blocks for associating the hereinafter described legs in pairs, and therefore, being in number equal to half the nnmber of benrin members and legs to be provided. In 8301 side of the housing 13 there are made arcuate slots 17 about the pivots 16 as centers, and in each sector 15 are made coincident bearing recesses 18 o ening to opposite edges of the sector and inc uding between them the thrust body 15. Through the slots 17 for association with the opposite ins 19 been Eng atlthoir outer extremities Jars '20 .20 suitablyr. connected together as at 20" to jointly crmstitute a lo or link 20 extending beyond the rim 10 emf having pivotally connectcd to its extremity a bearing mem er or foot 21, each said leg being guided in its movcnu-nt by short hulrs :22 pivotally connected to the bars 20 20, and at their opposite extremities pivotally connected to angle pieces 23 carried by the rim 10. The connection of the links 22 to the angle pieces 23 may, if desired, be made transversely yielding, as and for the purpose described in my prior patent.

For maintaining the legs 20 and their con nected bearing members 21 normally in outward position, I rovide a spring structure, which is preferab y a continuous wire spring 2-1, connected sei 'ari'm to the pins 5 which effect pivotal connection between t e bearing preferably of the construction shown in Fi s.

4 and 5 being provided with straight paral el front and rear edges and arcuate ends, said ends being struck from a common center, which, when the bearin member is attached to the wheel is directly in the tread center of the wheel. The foot is provided with a down turned percmetric flange 26 flaring outward sli htly from the body or plate ortion of the fiiot, and-ears 27 are provi ed for pivotally connecting the foot with the side mm of its leg. The relative arrangement of the feet, legs, and their connections-is such that when any foot is moved to its innermost position and the contiguous feet on both sides thereof are held in their outermost positions, the three successivefeet may stand in alinement at a tangent to the tread circle of the wheel which follows the innermost points of movement of the feet, as shown in ig. 1. The thrust body 15 of each sector 15 is of such size that when one foot is forced to innermost position said thrust body positively holds the companion foot of the pair in outermost position and the interconnection of the several sectors, through the mass ter gear 14, insures that all the sectors shall stand in position to positively hold the alternate feet throughout th enlirc series in 'oiitcrmost position so that it is insured that when any foot is in innermost position the peripherally contiguous feet on both sides thereof are held positively in outermost position.

It will further be seen that car-h sector is capable of moving either leg and foot with which it is associated only by a forward thrust, and then when a sector is in position to lhrust one foot to outermost position the other foot of its pair may move inward or out ward without interference with the sector. And it will further be aiparent that the spring circle 24 will normally hold all of the Free feet in outermost position, so that it is provided that normally all feet will stand in outermost position save those which are forced from such position by contactywith the ground under the weight of the load. Thus the operation is as follows: When the wheel passes from the position shown in Fig. l, where the foot A is squarely bcncath the axle, toward a position where foot B will be directly beneath the axle, the foot B will be forced inward and the sector in the central .housing will force the foot A outward distributing the weight between such two feet. The rocking of the sector incident to such change in position will i'otarily move the master gear 14 which communicates to all of its sectors the motion imparted to it by thc motion-initiating sector of the feet A, 15. Thus when the foot It is in innermost posilion the thrust of its sector locks the foot A in outermost position, and the movement the tread circle of the wheel, which are shown in Fig. 1 by the feet A, 13.1). lint except where contact with the ground forces a foot inward, the spring circ c maintains all of the feet outward so that the movement. of the sector has no external effect upon the.

wheel save as aticcting'the functionally active bearing members. i

It will be understood that my invention ma be embodied in traction wheels structui'al y different in many features from that herein particularly shown for purposes of full disclosure, and I donot desire to be understood as limiting my invention to the ,particular construction shown further than as specified in the claims.

llaviiig described my invention, what I claim is;

1. In a traction wheel, a frame, bearing members beyond the frame, movable in a generally radial direction with respect to the frame, and connections between pairs oi said bearing members whereby one member of a pair may communicate a thrust only and not a pull to the other member of the pair.

In a traction wheel, a frame, bearing members thereon, inwardly movablcand normally maintained in outermost positionpand means for connecting any bearing wlibn in innermost position with the two circumferentiully contiguous bearing members to hold them positively in outermost position.

3. In a traction wheel, a members carried thereby and lhercbcyond, radially movable with respect thereto, means yicldingly holding said bearing members in outermost position, means associating said members in pairs for locking one member of the pair in outermost position when the other is in innermost position, and means connecting the several pairsfor locking the corresponding members of all the other pairs in outermost position when any one member is so locked.

4. In a traction wheel, a frame, bearing members beyond the frame. legs carrying said bearing nieiubcrs movable in a. generally ramc, hearing fill lit)

radial direction with respect to the frame, rocking thrust blocks upon the frame aseoeiat'ing said legs in pairs, said blocks be. lg arranged to eomi'nunicate movement in an outward direction onlyto either member of the pair and to hold one member of the pair in outermost position when the other member is in inneri'nost position; and means connectin; said thrust blocks for synchronous movement.

5. In a traetion wheel, a frame, a plurality of rot-king thrust blocks u'lount'ed on said trame, means eonneeting all of said thrust bloeks for syuehronous lllOVtltltl'tt, legs extending); generally radially with respeet to the frame and movable therein associated in pairs \\ith the thrust blocks Ht) that either member of a ,pair when moved to innermost position may, through the thrust block, hold the other member of its pair in outermost p0 '20 sition, such thrust bloek being arranged to communicate motion in an outward directip h only to each member of the pair of legs associated therewith, means normally maintaining all of the legs in outermost position, 25 and bearing members earried by said legs beyond the frame.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the pres-enr'e of two \ritnesaes.

YVILLIAM L. MARTIN.

In the presence ot'- Fom zn BAIN, Mam h. ALLEN. 

